Customer Reviews

The Milk Memos: How Real Moms Learned to Mix Business with Babies-and How You Can, Too

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a "must have" for any nursing mommas going back to work and hoping to continue the breastfeeding relationship. I wish I had had this book when my first daughter was born and I went back to work. I felt so alone in my extremely challenging endeavor of pumping and working. If I had had this book, I would have felt supported, vindicated, inspired, and most of all, would have had the collective wisdom of other women who've learned how to make it work.

I now plan to buy this book for all my friends who are having babies and planning to continue their careers out of the home. I would also recommend Working Without Weaning but if you're only going to buy one book, this one will tell you most everything you need and it's so darn affordable! It's also well written and backed up by research.

Hurray for a couple of super-moms who managed to pump AND work AND somehow find time to write a book! Most books are written by stay-at-home moms who could never understand the pump/work dynamic. (No offense to them but even my local LLL leader couldn't help me because she has never experienced working out of the home 40 hrs/wk, away from her baby, dealing with pumping and storing milk and all the rest.

This book covers everything from starting the breastfeeding relationship on the right foot, introducing bottles, buying the right pump, negotiating time/space with your employer, sleep-deprivation, anxiety about being separated from your baby, the challenge of juggling career and family priorities, the challenge of being perceived as "less productive" at work now that you're juggling everything else. It has a nice balance of informative narrative from the authors, interspersed between the journal entries of the "Milk Mamas" group sharing the lactation room at IBM. I wish I had colleagues in my workplace to share this kind of journal with but reading their comments made me feel like I was not alone in my struggles.

Unlike other books I encountered, this book does not start from the premise that new moms should consider quitting their job or giving up their careers. It starts with the understanding that you are going back to work, either by choice or necessity, and aims to give you all the tools you need to successfully continue providing your baby with breastmilk for as long as you want to. Towards the end, it addresses the potential alternatives such as flex schedules, part time work, or putting your career on hold. But it doesn't start off making you feel like you're a bad mother if you go back to work.

Now that I've read this book (and a couple others), I just know I'm going to be more successful with pumping and working this time around with my second baby. In retrospect, it helped me see that I actually did a pretty good job the first time around (100% breastmilk until 6 months; daughter weened herself at 9 months when my milk supply dried up). I just felt like such a failure and like I lacked the kind of support I needed.

Definitely buy this book NOW and read it cover to cover if you are going to be a working mom! You'll enjoy and appreciate it.

Every employee in Corporate America focuses on how to balance their work chaos and with their life chaos. As someone who is obviously NOT a working mother, I read The Milk Memos as both poignant and hilarious -- detailing with a rich storytelling that it is entirely possible to literally nurture both family and career. The two authors are obviously writing from their own first-hand experiences, as well as those of their colleagues who are featured in the book. From those experiences, we see that there's something very telling which goes beyond the book's primary premise (the personal trials, tribulations and triumphs of mothers returning to work after maternity leave).

After reading excerpts, it was clear that this book maps how real life and work intersect. It also underscores the powerful bond of networking. As a people manager, this book helps reinforce for me that life experiences matter. They have to be grasped and enbraced when managing diverse teams. It's a new competitive game today, with a new demanding workforce. The best way for companies to win and succeed in what has become an intensifying competitive marketplace is to have a workforce that feels wanted, respected and nurtured.

The Milk Memos, though looking at just one aspect of that diverse workforce (mothers just back from maternity leave), does exactly that. It's a great read for anyone looking to strike a balance between office work and outside home life -- whether you're a working mother, a single Dad, an empty nester, a family builder or even someone without kids.

This book is fabulous! As a soon to be second time mom who will breastfeed again, I found it to be a refreshing reminder of what is to come and helpful in that it gave me a community that I was a part of. Most breastfeeding books only cover a little bit about returning to work, one even suggested having someone bring the baby to work so you could breastfeed (YEAH right, that is practical in an office!). The Milk Memos gives you sound advice along with humor and support. I read this book in less than 24hours even having a 3 year old! I was highly entertained and wished I could be a part of their 'club'. I highly recommend this book to anyone who will be breastfeeding or even just thinking about it. It proves that it can be done and that you can make it through this special time in your child's life.

A great pumping companion! I enjoyed this book. It made me laugh as I pumped away. I would caution that it has some inaccurate information. The ladies in this book mostly pump only 2 times a day. This is probably why they were struggling so much with supply. La Leche League and many other resources recommend pumping every 2-3 hours, thus at least 4 times in an 8-9 hour work day. I have had supply issues and end up pumping usually 4-5 time AND have my baby come for lunch. Maybe a few women who are blessed with overabundant supply can pump only twice, but not most!! So dont listen to that part! Othwerise, its a really fun book and helps mommas who work deal with some of the issues that come with being a milk momma!!

this book was great!1 i read while i was pumping!! i wish i would have bought it sooner! it gave a lot of practicle insight and let me know that i wasn't alone in the crazy emotional rollercoaster i was on!! great book would recomend to any nursing and working mother!!
-carrie

I am the only pumping mom in my office. This book helped me feel not so alone. I am determined to pump for the full first year and now I feel that I can do it more then ever. I even joined the on-line forum to help get more support and ideas from other moms. I would suggest this book to any mom who plans on pumping and working.

I really enjoyed this book. It dealt really honestly with the realities of going back to work while breastfeeding. It focuses more on the emotions and workplace stress than on the mechanics of breastfeeding. I found that to be helpful and useful but I wouldn't want anyone to think this book is full of practical advice on breastfeeding.

I have read a few "nursing working mother" books, but this one is the best by far. I have not yet decided whether or not I will nurse when I return to work after maternity leave, and many of the books I have read seem to judge women who are undecided about this. In fact, one of the women in the book stops pumping after 6 months, and the other women are very supportive and understanding of this. It is also very funny and informative to boot. I marked quite a few pages dealing with length and method of milk storage and practical tips for making the whole process work. I enjoyed this book immensely and will refer to it again and again when/if I need encouragement to continue nursing/pumping.

Breast feeding when I went back to work was such a challenge at first. This book was given to me as a gift and has gotten me through SO many days at my office! I find myself saying "ME TOO" constantly as I read and it has really pushed me on days that pumping seemed to be too much.
I give this book to all of my new mom friends and would recommend it to all moms who are even considering taking that next step to pumping and continuing to breast feed at work! It is worth every second (or every drop)...I love that I am still doing something for my son while at work and this book I truly feel makes it feel so managable!

... read this book!

As a soon-to-be first time mom who brings home the bacon in my family, I had five million questions about the logistics and practicality of breastfeeding as a full-time mom. This book answered all of my questions and has encouraged me to give it a try.

My favorite thing about this book is that it is not a preachy how-to guide with a lot of stale facts. The authors are caring moms who have been there and done that. The book is filled with plenty of "how-to" advice mixed in with hilarious and heart-touching stories that make it interesting to read. I finished this book in just a few days!